§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many students currently studying in the UK from Commonwealth countries have458W received financial assistance from his Department towards the cost of their education studies in the UK in each of the last three years. [84743]
§ Mr. HoonThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides financial assistance to students from the Commonwealth studying in the UK under two programmes; the Chevening Scholarship Scheme and the Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships Plan (CSFP).
In 1996–97, 452 students from the Commonwealth received Chevening awards while 237 received new CSFP awards. In 1997–98 the figures were 214 and 79 respectively and in 1998–99 141 and 72.
The figures for 1996–97 include awards funded by both the FCO and the Overseas Development Administration (ODA). The figures for 1997–98 and 1998–99 are for FCO funded awards only as in 1997 the ODA became a separate Government Department (the Department for International Development (DfID)). DflD continued to provide funding to both schemes for Commonwealth students in 1997–98 (240 Chevening and 239 CSFP awards) and 1998–99 (253 Chevening and 210 CSFP awards). Most Chevening awards are for one year only while many CSFP scholars are on PhD programmes, and study in the UK for up to three years.